Furniture buffer



W. J. JOHNSON FURNITURE BUFFER Nov. 21 1933.

vFiled may 22. 1951 ffllllwrrll IJ T-H..H.........h r

@CMU/vw @yr/)Zona Patented Nov. 21, 1933 1,935,718 FURNITURE BUFFER Walter J. Johnson, Evanston, Ill., assignerv tov Johnson Chaii` Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation cf Illinois Applieaan May 22, 1931. serial No. 539,247

7 Claims.

v'Ihis invention relatesto furniture buffers, and particularly to a'device applied to an `article of furniture Vsuch as a chair. to prevent the chair from maring or scratching a desk or other object against which it may strike.

An object of the invention is to provide a furniture buffer vwhich has a tongue adapted to engage a slot or groove provided ina furniture piece to which the buffer is mounted for securely locking the buffer in place; which has a bufling portion pre-formed with inclined edges adapted to snugly engage the surface to which the buffer is applied; which is .made of `a resilient shock absorbing material. and compressible within certain limits to providev a tight :fit with the article to which it is applied;` which maybe applied and fixed to an article of furniture Without the use of screws, nails, or other fastening members; and which can be readily and economi- 20' cally manufactured.

A further object is to provide a corner buffer for articles of furniture and provided with an arcuate flange which is integrally connectedto a chord-liketongue, the flange being biased inwardly for hugging the article of furniture.

Still another object is the provision of va furniture buffer which has a tonguefrictionally en'- g'aging the sides of a slot, and which has a flange adapted to be spread whereby the normal resiliency of the material from which the buffer is made causes the buffer to t snugly against the article to which it is applied.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout the progress of the following specication.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a selected embodimentof the invention:` and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a detail 'perspective ViewV of a chair having the improved buffer'applied thereto.`

Fig. 2 isa detail plan view of the improved buffer indicating its normal shape before being applied. Y Y Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3 3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of a chair seat showing a buffer receiving slot provided therein.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the improved buifer. y

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-*4 of Fig. 1. Y

In the particular embodiment herein shown, 5 designates a cha-ir having a seat 6 which is provided with a slot or groove, 7. VTheslot or Y groove 7 is in the corner of the chair seat and extends inwardly and radially from the corner of the chair and Vis open at the front at the corner. The groove maybe of any shape practicabletand may .be providedv with sloping sides to provide arrestricted opening 8 which is wider'at'its bota 60 tom 9,'a1though the sides of the slot may be parallel if desired. A buffer 10, provided for absorbing'shocks and to prevent the chair from scratching or marring a piecel of furniture when the chair may come in contact with the furniture article, may be secured in the slot, and this buffer ispreferably formed of soft yieldable material,` such as rubber. Y l

The buffer 10 comprises an inner portion or. chordflike tongue llwhichfis preferably made 7'0A` integral with the outer'arcuate flange or Vbuffer portion 12. The tongue 11 acts as a chord for the arcuate flange .12 and may be thicker at its inner edge 13 than itis at its outer'end 14 whereit connects with the buffer flange 12.

The taperingvtongue or web 11 is thus adapted to dovetail with the groove to hold the buffer in place without the use of any screws, nails, or other'u fastening means. However this tongue may be made in any shape desirable just soit .cooperates 'withx a suitable slot so vthat when assembled therein the tongue will be frictionally engaged by the sides of the slot or groovetov hold the buer securely in place. v The arcuate flange 12 has upper and lower edges 15 and 16 respectively which are biased or pre-formed to incline inwardly and overhang the tongue to provide feather edges 17 and I8 as shown invFig.-3, which cause a. tight or snug fit with the surface v on which the device -is` mounted.

The biased or inclined upper and lower edges? of the arcuate flange 12, in conjunction with the resilience of the material of which the device is formed, causes the edges to give or spreadout- Wardly when the buffer is applied in the slot and Vthus to forni` a tight flt between the edges Vof theV buffer and thesurface of the article to` which it is applied, thereby eliminating gapping or open edges betweenthe edges of the buffer and the article.

The flange 12 extends'beyond the ends of the tongue 11 to provide ears 20 which are also preferably Vfeathered and pre-formed inwardly so that when the buffer is applied in position these ends will snugly engage the surface on which the device is positioned and prevent gapping between the parts. Also, these ears spreadlaterally when in applied position and cause the buffer to ting withdrawal thereof, prevents it from being withdrawn unless sufficient pressure is applied. The beveling or under-cutting ofthe edge of the buffer locks the buffer in position, and the inclined feather edging of the contact parts causes a perfectly snug fit with the surface to which it is applied.

The buffer provides a resilient contacting edge and when applied to an article, such as a chair,

will prevent the chair from-marring or scratching a desk, should the chair come lin contact with a part of the desk. The use of the buffer on chairs prevents the scufllng and scratching of a desk and prevents sharp edges and splinters'from being formed on the desk.V These. splinters and sharp edges'would damage the clothes of the worker at the desk by causing thread snags in wearing apparel. The use of the flexible bufferr therebyV prevents marring of the furniture .or scratching ofthe furniture finish. y Changes maybe .made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the inventionor sacriflcing any of its advantages, and the rright is hereby reserved to make all suchY changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims. l f i rThe invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. The combination with an Yarticle of furniture having'a corner and a slot at thecornensaid slot extending inwardly and radially from said corner and being open at the front at .the corner, of a soft flexible rubber-like buffer engageable with said slot and frictionally supported therein bythe elastic characteristics of -the buffer and comprising an exterior flange having inner wallsv adaptedto contact with the outer surfaces of the chair seat on each side of the corner, said buffer having its upper and lower edges extending above and below respectively of the upper and lower surfaces of the-seat surrounding the slot,l anda tongue integral with the flange and exvtending inwardly from the inner surface thereof, said tongue being insertable in the front open face of the slot by pressure exerted on the outer faceof the flange, the tongue being frictionally anchored in position in the slot due to the resilient characteristics of the buffer.

':2-. A softkflexible rubber-like ,buffer having anv arcuate flange and a chord-like tongue,Y the chord-like tongue being-arrangedinwardly of the flange andperpendicular thereto,tlie upper and lower edges of the flange being parallel to the horizontal plane of the tongue.

3. A soft yieldable and flexible rubber-like buffer for furniture corners comprising an arcuate flange for contacting the corner surfaces of the furniture and protecting it, and a tongue intermediate the upper and lower horizontal edges of the ilangeand subtending the arc of the flange for bracing the flange and anchoring it to the article of furniture by therinherent elastic characteristics of the tongue.

4. A soft yieldable and flexible rubber-like buffer for furniture corners comprising a horizontal arcuate flange for contacting the corner surfaces of the furniture and protecting it, and a horizontal inwardly extending tongue located intermediate the upper and lower horizontal edges of the flange and subtending the arc of lthe flange for"bracing the flange and anchoring it to the article of furniture, said flange being inclined inwardly and vertically above and below the upper and lower horizontal surfaces of the tongue whereby the outer upper and lower edges of the flange will snugly contact with the article of furniture when applied thereto.

5. Al soft yieldable and flexible rubber-like buffer for furniture corners comprising a horizontal arcuate flange for contacting the corner surfaces of the furniture' and protecting it, a horizontal inwardly extending tongue located intermediate the upper and lower horizontal edges of the flange and subtending the are of the flange for bracing the flange and anchoring it to the article of furniture, said flange being inclined inwardly and vertically above and below the upper and lower horizontal surfaces of the tongue whereby the outer upper and lower edges of the flange will snugly contact with the article of furniture when Vapplied thereto, and ears integral with the flange and extending beyond the inner extreme edge of the tongue, said ears conforming with the cross sectional configuration of the flange.

6. A soft flexible rubber-like buffer having an arcuate flange and a chord-like tongue, the chord-like tongue being arranged inwardly of the flange and perpendicular thereto, the upper andl lower edges of the flange being parallel to the horizontal plane of the tongue, the inner sides of the flanges above and below the tongue in-r clining inwardly. v

7. A buffer for chair seats comprising a soft flexible rubber-like buffer having an arcuate ange andv a chord-like tongue, the chord-like tongue being arranged inwardly of the flange and perpendicular thereto, the upper and lower edges of the flange being parallel to thehorizontal plane of the tongue, said tongue adapted to be received in a horizontal slot formed in the corner of the `seat and the arcuatev flange adapted to t against the edges of the seat at the corner.

WALTER J. JOHNSON. 

